MCT to launch tree planting project

The Mustique Charitable Trust (MCT) will launch today, at 10 a.m. at the Botanic Gardens, the MCT funded Tree Planting Project.

The project is part of the Trust’s response to provide assistance after the low pressure trough caused devastating floods in St Vincent on the night of December 24, 2014.{{more}}

According to a release from the MCT, donors from Mustique responded generously to the request from the Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, for assistance after the storm. One of the donors requested that his donation of XCD$26,000 be spent on the replanting of trees in the areas of the country where fruit trees and trees stabilising hills and banks had been washed away. The Ministry of Agriculture and the Richmond Vale Academy responded most enthusiastically to the Trust’s request for assistance in the growing and distribution of suitable trees.

“Over the last several months, all three entities have worked together towards putting all the arrangements and logistics in place to launch this project.

The Ministry of Agriculture has contributed significantly to the project and has agreed to take care of the growing, distribution and planting of over 5,000 fruit trees.

“The Ministry is generously donating additional fruit trees as well as taking care of distribution and transportation costs in the windward areas. Richmond Vale has already set up a nursery and started planting 10,000 moringa seedlings. The moringa trees will be planted predominantly in the leeward areas affected with some being received for planting by community groups on the windward side. Areas for distribution have been identified. The Ministry of Agriculture and the Richmond Vale Academy will be working with community groups on the tree planting activity,” the release said.

“Minister of Agriculture Saboto Caesar and staff at the Ministry and Stina Herberg, Principal of Richmond Vale Academy are providing invaluable advice and support. The Trust thanks them most sincerely. The Trust welcomes the five farmers who will be presented with seedlings as a symbolic gesture to launch the tree planting project. It is the intention of the MCT that both the moringa trees and fruit trees which will be distributed towards the end of the year will help to replace some of the many trees lost on December 24, 2014, provide a measure of stabilisation to ground damaged by the floods and sources of nutrition and income,” the release from the MCT said.

This project forms part of the MCT donation of XCD$1,000,000 to the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines to assist with the storm relief effort. The balance of the funds has been allocated to assist with the refurbishment of the Pediatric Wing at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, which was completed in May of this year and to the building of homes for needy families who lost homes as a result of the severe flooding.

“The Mustique Charitable Trust is committed to providing assistance where it can. The Trustees and the donor hope that this tree planting project will provide meaningful assistance to those communities affected and to assist the people most impacted by the floods and particularly the children in the communities who will benefit from this project in years to come.”